


The way I look at you

by Yogowaga



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Spies & Secret Agents, Angst, Crime Fighting, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Enemies to Lovers, Happy Ending, Junhao Main ship, Living Together, M/M, Mentioned ASTRO Ensemble, Mentioned Bangtan Boys | BTS Ensemble, Mentioned GOT7 (GOT7), Mentioned NCT Ensemble, Minor SoonHoonGyu, Near Death Experiences, Non-Graphic Violence, hyung trio are kinda bad guys, light fluff, minor jihancheol, minor verkwan - Freeform, other idols appear, papa hoshi, seventeen ensemble - Freeform, sorry - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-03
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-16 14:47:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 14,444
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29826576
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yogowaga/pseuds/Yogowaga
Summary: The8 and Jun, partners and two of the best agents the Seventeen department has to offer. Too bad they can't get along half of the time.The duo is sent out to investigate a villa of a former yakuza member, it's nothing important at all... Or so they thought. Soon after they get thrown into the centre of a vicious trio in need of couple counselling and a conscience which they all seem to be lacking as they pull off the cruellest plots. At least they aren't alone as they have their department to back them up and all the undercover agents littering the city.
Relationships: Choi Seungcheol | S.Coups/Hong Jisoo | Joshua/Yoon Jeonghan, Wen Jun Hui | Jun/Xu Ming Hao | The8
Comments: 2
Kudos: 5





	1. Out of the frying pan, into the fire.

**Author's Note:**

> Enjoy.

“What are you doing- Whoa-”  
He barely managed to get through his sentence before his oaf of a partner came crashing down on the floor, so kindly keeping his long legs spread out right in front of Minghao causing him to trip on his partner landing on him in a thud.

“Ya! Pull your legs in you clumsy oaf”  
It was within seconds that a knee reached his abdomen and he made a point of elbowing his partner in the ribs a lot harder than he had been kicked but Junhui really needed to know his place if he hit even on accident he was going to get something much worse as payback.

He scowled at his partner, pressing his knee into the man’s thigh while getting up causing him to hiss in pain, he reached to hit Minghao again but decided against it as he could now sit up as they had tangled out and his partner had already gone on without him.

“If you two are going to ditch the mission and have sex at least turn off your mics please!”

“He tripped me!” He placed a finger on his in-ear activating his mic to complain to their superior, at least he had the decency to keep it muted unless he needed something, unlike Junhui.

“Alright baby, I’ll kiss it better when you get back to HQ.”  
He scowled again, glaring daggers back to Junhui as if it was his fault their superior taunted him, it could probably be Jun’s fault, everything could be traced back to Jun’s fault.  
The man in question raised both hands in surrender, his eyebrows going up as well. Why was he even surprised? Minghao always blamed him for everything yet he was always offended when it happened.

“Just focus on guiding us and we’ll sort out our personal problems on our own, Hey- Don’t look at me like that!”Junhui’s voice cracked slightly once Minghao growled at him, a sound resonating from deep in his stomach, it served its purpose as Junhui made an effort to put even more space between them as they stalked on.

“Alright, split up and search the house, it should already be clear but the cameras can't catch everything so I just want you to confirm it for us.”  
He practically ran away from their current location as the orders were given, he was very excited to put space between him and his partner and now that they didn’t need to stick around each other he was quick to leave.  
It irked Minghao how little information was given to them, all they really knew was the previous owner had been an influential member of the yakuza.

The house was extremely big as it was probably classed as a villa judging by its sheer size and remote location, as they knew it had two floors, ground and second, Dino, their cam guy said that it also housed a spacey attic as well which seemed to be Minghao’s job as he had blindly rushed up the stairs, the ground level was largest by quite the bit so Junhui would be busy for a while, Minghao suspected he would finish before his partner would.

He cringed slightly looking back at the stairs, they were a washed-out green that would croak every step he took, this house really needed a paint job.  
The space upstairs seemed to have a botanical theme as everything held a similar colour palette with different styled herbs speckled on the otherwise olive wallpapers. There were quite a few illustrations of flowers hung on the walls with slim console tables lined up against the walls underneath the art pieces. 

The second floor held two short hallways with two rooms on each side of said hallway, despite being decorated with different types of flora it still held an eerie feel as it was all shrouded in darkness with non-functional lights, the villa looked as if it had been standing there a century or so and gave off a feeling of not being alone.  
As he stalked the hallways, opening doors and circling rooms the feeling of being watched never left him, his first thought was the rusty cameras that overlooked most rooms but as he turned to confirm he found them dead, none of them lit up with the red dot indicating that they were active.

“The8!”  
He left that thought for another time as Junhui’s voice echoed through the building, the use of his codename made him sprint out of the room and the fact that his partner had called him without the usage of the comms made him ready his pistol as he jogged down the stairs with as much speed as possible in a stairway which wasn’t much but the speed he gained after getting back on stable ground surely made up for the 10 seconds lost in the stairs.

He pressed at his in-ear hoping to contact Soonyoung who was guiding their mission but with no luck, he continued to sprint until Junhui’s head popped out from the small room underneath the stairs, he walked slower as his partner appeared safe and sound.

“Sorry, everything died when I opened this door, including the comms.”

He pressed past his partner into the cramped room to find a metallic hatch far more modern than anything else the house contained, even the cameras were a few centuries old but this lid looked as if it was made this year, the metal sleek enough to see your own reflection with a complex lock requiring a fingerprint of god knows who.   
At least this explained the cameras.

“Take a picture but after that, we are getting out of here as fast as we can, got it?”  
He got out of his crouched position, moving out of the room as Junhui took a hold of his wrist to stop him, showing him his dead phone.  
He assumed his partner had just neglected to charge it but as he slipped his phone out of his pocket he found it just as dead as Junhui’s.

“Shit, one of the upstairs rooms has a balcony pointing to the back of the house with a ladder leading down to the ground.”

They slipped out of the room, both far more alerted than when they had entered, Minghao kept his body close to the ground as they snuck up the stairs, moving incredibly slowly to not make any sound. As they made it up on the second floor he swore he heard footsteps on the ground level, where they had just come from.  
He took a firm hold of Junhui’s hand as he dragged him along, gun ready in his other hand. He only glanced back once to find his partner ready with his weapon as the house started lighting up around them with light sources he had not previously seen, slim LED tubes ran on the ceiling reaching inside every room, illuminating their position.

But he and Jun weren’t sent there because they were slow in the first place, Minghao was a fantastic stealth operator and his partner certainly had his way with guns.   
He softly closed the door behind them as faint footsteps were heard croaking up the stairs, luckily they were already at said position and Junhui managed to ease the lock of the door leading onto the balcony so all they had to do now was get down the ladder.

If Junhui wasn’t such a slimy oaf it would have gone perfectly and they would have gotten away without a sound, it didn’t get them caught per se but it did get them both sore and it got Minghao to spit curses every step they took.  
Minghao was smaller and thinner than Jun, he took the lead down the ladder as he was easier to miss but his partner just had to slip, taking them both down a lot faster than planned but also a lot more violently than planned.  
They couldn’t do much about it as Junhui heaved him up and took off darting into the forest with his partner trailing close behind if they had more time Minghao certainly would have stopped to smack him and give him a piece of his mind but right now they didn’t have time and had to keep running no matter how much his blood was boiling.

They first stopped after 20 minutes of running as Minghao stopped abruptly, pulling Junhui with him behind a tree to catch their breath, his partner wasn’t panting as hard as he was but with the speed they had run at they were both getting tired.

“Phone’s working again.”  
That was all it took for Minghao to snatch the phone and dial Soonyoung’s burner number.

“The8? Thank god you’re okay, is Jun also alive and breathing? You didn’t ditch him did you?”

“We’re fine, both of us. Turns out someone still lives there, found a cellar door, metal, 60x60 I think, cut off all communication.”

“Alright, keep away from HQ and all places with value to you, no going home either, stay away for a few hours.”

He sighed as he turned to look at his partner, Jun looked more and more tired by the second he was probably just as tired but his adrenaline wouldn’t run out until they were safe and far away from the villa. 

“The8, don’t ditch him, you can’t afford to be alone either of you.”

He forced out an even deeper sigh as to show Soonyoung his dissatisfaction with the statement, the older just chuckled at him before hanging up.  
He gave Junhui back his phone as he stood up from his hunched over position, a few bones popping both in his knees and back at the action.

“What did he say?”

“Told us to stay away for an hour or so, he also said not to separate.”  
He mumbled the last part hoping that his partner wouldn’t catch it but he did and also chose to laugh at him before patting his back and starting a slow pace following a path that would hopefully lead them out of the forest, it was thick with trees and the sky was going through multiple different colours, illuminating the forest with a faint violet glow, it was the perfect timing as the glow was stronger where the trees spread out and the dimming sun lead them out.

They both stopped at the same time both with a phone in hand, they froze in eye contact before Minghao brushed it off and got down on one knee to take his pictures of the sunset, Junhui did the same thing but in a different position.

“I wish I could stop time and bring someone special here.”

“Let me guess, your bed is the special someone?”

He chuckled as Jun stuck his tongue out at him in a childish manner, snapping one last photo before continuing their hike, walking a little closer this time.  
Jun was insufferable but Wen Junhui wasn’t extremely terrible to be around.  
Maybe The8 was just as annoying with Xu Minghao being more pleasant, although it seemed only the two of them had those thoughts as Soonyoung and all others they worked with always praised them for being good agents and fun coworkers. It was the two of them that didn’t match.

“So where are we going? I have like 10,000₩ on me if you’re interested in a snack.”

“Let’s focus on getting back to the city first.”  
The forest had been around 30 minutes deep on foot, specifically running. They made it out quickly and made even faster work on getting to the nearest bus stop, they were in luck as they would only have to wait around 10 minutes if they had arrived 20 minutes later they would have had to wait an hour for the next bus.  
Once it arrived it was almost completely empty save for 3 others, there were so many places they could have sat at but Junhui still decided to squeeze in beside Minghao.  
He tried a glare to scare him away but as he was met with a wide smile he sighed in defeat and turned to look out the window instead.

After an hour on bus they still only had to pay 1400₩ as entrance fee which left them around 9600₩ and Junhui’s stomach was growling like a wild animal so they both knew what their next stop was going to be.

“I know a really cheap spot not far from here, went there on a date once.”

“You took a date to a really cheap place?”  
Junhui had found new energy in the thought of food and was skipping along the sidewalk, currently walking backwards to stick out his tongue at Minghao while also placing his hands on either side of his head, thumbs in his ears while wiggling his fingers in a ridiculous manner.  
All Minghao could really do was laugh at him as he almost knocked into a poor woman walking a bit in front of them, he held it in as he watched Junhui apologise to her but broke out in giggles once she left the scene.

“This is why you’re still single, you’re mean!”  
It was an obvious joke as Junhui laughed saying it but Minghao decided it was too much.  
His expression washed off and his blank face made a return as he chose to look out at the passing traffic instead of looking at his partner, the traffic was far more interesting anyway.

“Hey, don’t look so offended, I’m sure a lot of people are interested in you! Like, uh, uhm… Sicheng! Sicheng from the extraction department likes you, right?”

He kept his eyes away from the man even as they reached their destination, Junhui took care of everything anyways, he was even bold enough to order for both of them. They sat down on the cushions on the floor, Minghao busied himself with people watching as he was growing tired of Junhui staring at him.

“Ok, I got it.”   
He rolled his eyes dramatically as he finally looked over to his partner who kept a small smile and hands up seeming ready to list or count something while his eyes sparkled with mischief.

“Sicheng from extraction, Eunwoo from infiltration, Jaehyun from intelligence and Yugyeom from SWAT.”  
Junhui’s smile grew as Minghao’s eyes narrowed, within short he was pinning Jun with an otherworldly glare but the boy kept on smiling wide, somehow proud of himself.

“What do you mean?”  
After quickly figuring out that his partner wouldn’t buckle he decided on a different approach and chose to entertain his stupidity as their food arrived. He fought a small smile when noticing their dishes both being Chinese options.

“I mean they pay a lot of attention to you, especially Eunwoo.”

“Interesting how we’re all the same age and they’re all men, are you assuming my sexuality?”  
Minghao shrugged off his jacket, folding it beside him as he dug in with his chopsticks, no real irritation present in his mind but he did love calling people out. Junhui seemed frozen in time as he kept his eyes on Minghao’s jacket, completely spaced out.

“So- You aren’t- Gay…?”  
Jun’s eyes stuck to the same spot but his body angled towards Minghao and his hands moved as he spoke, he had an impulse of waving a hand in front of his face but quickly disregarded the thought as he realised his own irritation had someone done it to him.

“No, I’m gay.”  
He struggled to keep a neutral expression as a smile threatened to appear once he saw Junhui’s face, the boy looked absolutely flabbergasted with his eyebrows furrowed and his eyes not deciding whether they wanted to be wide open or squinting as he looked at Minghao.

“Ah, my head isn’t in the mood to think right now.”  
The boy seemed to stop his buffering as he leaned over the table to stuff his face in food, Minghao watched him for just a second before turning his attention back to his own food.

As the night dragged out they chose not to go back to HQ or risking going home in case they or their phones had managed to get bugged. Instead, they went to the closest atm and pulled out enough money for a cheap hotel room in a less legal way, they hadn’t been caught anyways so it was relatively fine, they both could pay back in case it was needed, as an agent, you weren’t exactly poor.   
Still, they decided not to extract unlimited money and only got enough to land them one night in a shitty hotel with barely enough space to breathe, the hotel had somehow managed to squeeze a bunk bed into a space so small you had to climb in at the short side where the pillows were. Minghao being the smaller out of the two got the top bunk where he shamefully had to admit the inability to get up as the ladder that normally came with a bunk didn’t fit in the small space so Junhui actually had to boost him in order for him to get up.

Junhui had taken both their phones and transferred the pictures they took in the forest to a USB claiming it was a good memory. In the morning they completely reset said phones before going through quite the hassle of destroying the objects, they ended up burning them in a trashcan after their one attempt of throwing them didn’t work. What could he say? They were tired, demolishing a phone was too much effort.  
To think they almost brought their own phones to the mission, they were searching an empty and abandoned house of a former mob member, no one expected that they would even have to use a phone much less burn one.

“Oh thank god you’re back, Dino said your burners were... Well, burned and I immediately thought the worst!”

The same second they exited the elevator to their floor they were both attacked by Soonyoung who had guided their mission, he had been over the moon when they came back in one piece, Minghao always worked with Soonyoung, he doesn’t exactly know how it started as he originally worked under a man named Kun, he was fresh from China so they got him a Chinese team but only a few weeks later Soonyoung had completely transferred him over to his department where he worked alongside Chan or Dino, it was a codename but it stuck to most of them. Seokmin started taking care of him religiously, Seungkwan and Vernon also took care of him despite being younger, then Mingyu came along and everyone started taking care of him instead as he probably needed it a lot more than Minghao. A few months later Junhui joined their team, he had been a part of the agency for a few months but worked under a different superior, it took a while before Soonyoung recognised his talent and transferred him to their little family.

And that's how it still was to this day, Soonyoung even kept the logs in a frame highlighted by LED lights in the middle of his office, showing off his success to everyone.

\-----  
Entry; 2011-2/13 Unit applicant  
Kwon Soonyoung applies to lead his own unit

Entry; 2011-6/30 Member addition  
Kwon Soonyoung, codename Hoshi, The Management Officer of this soon to be department and former HUMINT agent, previously did part-time in education and training.

Entry; 2011-9/16 Member addition  
Lee Chan, codename Dino, previous computer-science intern dubbed Enterprise Systems IT Specialist as a welcome to the beta department.

Entry; 2012-2/3 Member addition  
Lee Seokmin, codename Dokyeom, a former CHS turned Open Source Exploitation Officer for the sole purpose of joining the new unit and working under Kwon Soonyoung's management. 

Entry; 2013-5/29 Member addition  
Boo Seungkwan, Digital targeter joins the Beta unit and receives the new title of Inspector General Auditor within the department.

Entry; 2013-6/1 Member Promotion  
Lee Chan receives the title of Digital Forensics engineer and Technical Operations Officer.

Entry; 2013-6/12 Unit approval  
Seventeen becomes an official department

Entry; 2013-7/9 Member addition  
Chwe Vernon, codename Hansol, Language officer joins the unit as a Deployed Support officer.

Entry; 2013-11/31 Member Promotion  
Boo Seungkwan becomes the Contract Litigation Attorney

Entry; 2014-3/9 Agent Request  
Kwon Soonyoung requests the transfer of Videographer Intern Kim Mingyu to his care.

Entry; 2014-5/18 Agent Request  
Kwon Soonyoung’s request was denied.

Entry; 2014-10/22 Member addition  
Xu Minghao, codename The8, stealth field operator, junior field engineer joins the department.

Entry; 2014-11/1  
Kwon Soonyoung applies for full care of Agent Kim Mingyu for the second time.

Entry; 2014-12/24 Member addition  
Kim Mingyu, Motor vehicle operator and Videographer, successfully joins the department.

Entry; 2015-1/4 Member addition  
Wen Junhui, codename Jun, protective agent joins the department  
\-----

Minghao shook his head with a chuckle as he took a peek at the “holy entries” earning a questioning look by their leader to which he quickly dismissed with a wave of his hand and a secretive smile.  
Soonyoung probably had no idea what was going through his head but he still returned the mysterious grin, well it's nice to know that no matter what kind of mischief you’re up to, Soonyoung will still support you.

“We, meaning Chan, scoured every connection, every single spark of technology the villa had to reopen the connection, Mingyu and I were getting ready to go look for you when you called.”

“We were away for half an hour and you were already planning on searching?” Junhui took a seat on their leader’s desk as they had been lead into the office, Soonyoung was leaning against the door, and Minghao was standing with his heels together, back straight as he talked to his superior, unlike his partner who took the liberty to place his ass on their leader’s desk and sitting hunched over if it were Minghao’s desk he would have thrown him out. Maybe that’s why Minghao wasn’t the leader.

“Well, I don't want either of you to die just because I took my sweet time getting to you.”

“We won’t live forever Soonyoung, we’re field agents, we won't live to see our forties if we even survive to our thirties.”

“Ya, stop making me sad you punk!”  
In the least threatening way ever recorded their leader waddled over to Minghao to aggressively hug him in a bit more intimidating manner as he squeezed all air he previously had out of his lungs making a point to somehow pick him up and spin around before letting him go with a dangerous grin.

“Hey, try not to kill him, I don’t think The8 can handle affection.”

“That might be true but Minghao is a cuddle bug!”

He both cringed and winced at the statement, with Soonyoung he could be affectionate, with Soonyoung he could cuddle several hours straight but that was classified information that belonged to them only.

“I do not believe that, pic or it didn’t happen.”  
Junhui jumped to his feet, his eyes brimming with amusement as a not so subtle smile grew on him. Seeing Soonyoung fish up his phone sent electricity through Minghao’s entire body as he swiftly snatched the phone from his grip and held it far away from the man with a warning finger pointed at him.

“Haohao, give me my phone, I’ve been dying to share the pictures with someone!”

“Hmm, as I see it it's two against one, and I’m taller and faster than both of you.”  
It was only shortly after that Minghao had been backed into a corner, holding the phone as far away from the two of them as possible. Jun had a point, he was taller and faster, Soonyoung was by far more determined than Minghao had ever been, the only thing they had common ground on was stubbornness and even in that it was very possible that he would fail.  
If he wanted to escape Soonyoung would be the target, Minghao was a lot faster than him and they held the same height but then the threat of Junhui still lingered, if Soonyoung would manage to slow him down even the slightest bit then he would be done for.

The8 mode engaged.

If he escaped the room their leader would follow at walking speed, if he managed to get to Chan then the younger would protect him against Junhui but if the younger figured he was on the opposite side of Soonyoung he would surely betray Minghao.  
Using Vernon as a shield would be useless as the boy wouldn’t care in the slightest, Seokmin and Seungkwan hadn’t arrived yet.  
Mingyu was his best bet but still, if he decided to betray him then there was no way for him to get his hands on the phone as the height difference was too great, they were a family yet every single one of them would betray him in this situation.

He technically could just put the phone in his underwear and everyone would give up but that idea didn’t sound pleasant for him either so he quickly discarded it, maybe he could put it in his back pocket and sit down but their leader had just shown off his ability to carry Minghao besides the only one in their department who wouldn’t grope him for the phone was Chan but that was one out of six.   
No matter how much time he bought he wouldn’t have enough time to delete all of the pictures.

But,

He could call Woozi, Soonyoung’s mysterious date. No one has ever met him but all of them had talked to them at some point.  
He turned his back to them and crouched down in one swift motion, pressing Woozi’s icon and calling him before any of the others even had time to move. He just managed to put him on speaker as one of his opponents picked him up which was an even dumber move from them as in the bridal style he was being held he could also hold the phone up higher especially since Junhui was the one holding him.

He put on his most villainous smile as a voice croaked out of the speaker, he chuckled in success as he watched Soonyoung’s face pale.

“Woozi Hyung, save me! Soonyoung and Junhui are manhandling me!”

“Release Minghao.”  
His smirk grew into a wicked grin as his feet met the floor again and the hold on him was released, he cackled as he watched the two of them pale, Soonyoung pulling at the hems of his sleeves. In the same moment, Jun tried to smack his arm he put on facetime which meant Woozi saw it.

“Haven’t I told you to treat your coworkers with respect and professionalism?”

“But-”

“Haven’t I told you to keep your professional identities separated from your personal? Would Hoshi manhandle The8? Would Hoshi pit The8 and Jun who are partners against each other ?”

“No Woozi…”

His smile grew as his eyes sparkled with mischief, he and Woozi always saw eye to eye, they always had similar opinions and he could always trust the other to have his back in reinforcing the principles that Minghao also believed in.

“You’re just asking to be punished at this point.”  
The man on the phone sighed while Soonyoung got the tiniest glint in his eyes. He decided to leave now, handing the man his phone before slipping out of the office with Junhui at his heel, the pictures would be forgotten at this point but Minghao made a mental note to delete them the next time he had the chance.

“I think you need to relax a bit, it's obvious that you don’t trust me and maybe that needs to change since we are partners.”

“No, The8 and Jun are partners, Minghao just wants to stay away from Junhui.”  
He furrowed his eyebrows cringing slightly as he spoke of himself in third person, maybe he didn’t hate Junhui but that doesn’t mean they were going to become best friends

His partner sighed, looking almost disappointed as they parted ways. But this was work and Minghao was contacting the hand-picked few he could trust, he wanted to know everything about that house and more specifically who operated there and where the hatch lead.

In just a few minutes his phone lit up with replies from all sorts of allies but the only ones willing to provide actual information happened to be Jaehyun from intelligence and Yugyeom from SWAT. Junhui was going to get a kick out of this he was sure, he was a little less sure on whether to bring his partner or not, they were both working on this case together and were the only field agents assigned, any information he received he would have to share with him anyways.

He sighed as he pulled himself off his chair, his feet awfully heavy as he neared Junhui on the couch. The man was absorbed in his phone, only noticing him after having his foot kicked lightly, he hoped against all doubt that his partner was also trying to find information.

“Meeting with informants at the café across the street at 12:45 if you want to tag along.”

“Is this a date? Damn Minghao, inviting several people to the same date, you sure got a lot of power, huh?”

“Nevermind you aren’t invited.”  
His feet only became heavier as he heard Junhui’s giggles bounce off the walls in an echo, he discarded yet another impulse he had of slapping the man.

Time passed excruciatingly slowly but soon enough it reached 12:40 and Minghao was pulling open the door to the café when his partner sprinted up with a mock bow before entering, only stopping at the front disk where a barista stood ready. He could hear Junhui ordering something but not what as he completely tuned the boy out as he spotted Yugyeom sipping coffee in a corner.

“Yugs, you’re early.”

The boy looked like a deer caught in headlights before noticing Minghao taking a seat opposite from him, once realisation dawned on him he broke out in a wide smile and pocketed his phone immediately, turning all his attention to Minghao.

“I ran into Jaehyun on my way out, he said he might be a little late but only 5 minutes or so.”

“Yugyeom from SWAT!”  
He turned to glare at the new presence as the boy gasped before sitting down, he so graciously placed a Green tea latte in front of Minghao earning a glare viler than anything on this earth despite doing a nice gesture.

“Who else are we meeting?”

“Jaehyun-”

“Jaehyun from intelligence?!”  
He stomped down hard on Junhui’s foot causing him to spill hot coffee all over his hands and half the table, Minghao continued smiling at Yugyeom, with every curse the boy beside him muttered his smile grew wider until his teeth were showing.

“Yugyeom I’m so sorry, Junhui is so clumsy!”  
After finishing his sentence he took another chance to elbow his partner in the ribs while reaching for the napkins beside him, causing Junhui to spill some more over his other hand, a bad choice to switch hands while cleaning up. Yugyeom arched an eyebrow as Jun’s cursing grew loud enough for them both to hear it clearly.

The man beside him hesitated, glancing at Minghao every now and then to assure he wouldn’t make another sneak attack as he was cleaning up but he decided he had gotten his revenge and let the man peacefully clean up his mess.

“Hey, I’m sorry I'm late, had to finish something first.”  
Minghao and Yugyeom both offered him inviting smiles while Junhui was still muttering curses, at least his cleaning was coming to an end at the best timing when Jaehyun came back from ordering the table was all clean again.  
Minghao merely adjusted himself to sit more comfortably but apparently, he had lost enough trust with his partner as said man took a hold of his thigh, holding it firmly in place while nodding his head to greet the new addition.

“Anyways the house you sent me about is written in the name of Joshua Hong, who also has a residence in the city where he actually lives, for the hatch I'd say carbon steel plain and simple, the lock on the other hand… My guess is an Ultraloq, can also be unlocked using a phone as well as a fingerprint.”  
Jaehyun sipped his coffee before leaning forward, putting his hands on the table, connecting the fingertips while levelling them all with a blank expression.

“I would recommend going for the lock instead of breaching it open if it is carbon steel then ways to break it will vary a lot depending on the main metals in this specific object.” Yugyeom did the opposite of Jaehyun and leaned back in his chair before crossing his legs, his expression also turned serious.

“I’d ask Dokyeom about cheating the lock open unless you want to kidnap Joshua Hong that is and even if you pick that option we can’t be certain that his fingerprint unlocks it nor his phone, for all we know he could be renting the house out, I recommend putting him under surveillance, I know for a fact that your department has the best stake-out guy.”

Jaehyun had distractingly kept an eye on the clock behind them, splitting Minghao’s focus by simply keeping track of time. As expected the man soon after excused himself as he left, he agreed to meet but even so he had mentioned that it would have to be quick.

Junhui’s grip on his thigh had also relaxed as it was mostly resting there without digging into his flesh, if it left a single mark he would strangle the man. 

“I agree with Jaehyun, lay low, keep an eye on the dude and the house but don’t be hasty, no rushed decisions, I wouldn’t want to lose you to a dumb thing like patience.”   
He knew the last part was directed to him only as Yugyeom turned his body back in Minghao’s direction from previously angling himself to the centre of the group. 

“I should also get going, I have to meet up with Director Jinyoung before he murders me.”   
They all got up as Yugyeom and Minghao parted with a hug before the taller rushed back into the building, Junhui and Minghao took their sweet time getting back though, they had a lot to think about. But at least their entire crew would be there when they came back.

When they entered their department they were met with the warm welcome of Soonyoung and Seungkwan arguing while Seokmin hummed on a song unintentionally lulling Vernon to sleep on the couch, not even Chan seemed to be collected as he was scolding a large Mingyu for something they were completely oblivious to.

“Ugh, finally someone reasonable!”  
As they closed the door Seungkwan had already slid up to them, grabbing both Minghao’s hands in his while staring at him with a pleading look, Soonyoung trailing behind looking a lot less than pleased.

“Talking to two men at the same time is wrong, right?

“For god's sake Boo! Mingyu is just as interested in Woozi as I am and I’m pretty sure Woozi doesn’t want to be dating either of us anyways!”  
Seokmin was leaning against the couch spine, sipping on a drink with a small smile as he watched the interaction. It sure seemed like Seungkwan was the only one who had an issue with it as Mingyu didn't bother to be a part of this struggle even as it concerned him.

“I mean if it’s mutual between the three of them then who am I to judge?”  
Seemingly displeased with his answer Seungkwan threw his hands into the air before storming out yelling how they were all insane cheaters.  
Soonyoung and Seokmin rolled their eyes in sync before slipping into the leader’s office, beckoning the two partners to follow.

“What did you learn, I assume you went out for a reason?”  
They all sat down in different places before briefing their superiors on what they had learnt and Junhui might’ve ratted his poor behaviour out to which Minghao earned a scolding for, Seokmin version. They started with the house owner, Joshua to which Soonyoung immediately responded by sending the name to his contacts, Minghao’s friends would offer a kick-start but the leader’s friends would get them the answers they needed. Seokmin on the other hand lit up like a Christmas light as they explained the suspected lock mechanics, he continued writing down notes on a paper he borrowed from his partner throughout their entire speech.

“All you really need is glue and the ability to convince him to touch it, for example, you could apply a thin layer of clear glue onto a cup, ask him to hold it for you and voilá.”

“Will he fall for it though? I mean if he’s anything like us then he would be careful with that kinda thing.”  
Junhui leaned towards Seokmin with an attentive stare, Minghao mirrored the action.

“If you’re going to keep tabs on him, befriend him, not close friends but close enough for him to think you’re harmless, we place Vernon and Dino at the villa while Seungkwan gets acquainted with our target.” 

“No, Seungkwan is harmless in most types of combat, and this isn’t a normal citizen, I nominate Minghao and Junhui, it's their case after all, and I trust them to be inconspicuous.”  
Soonyoung broke away from his typing to send them all a pensive glance before finally settling on Seokmin, he didn’t seem to oppose as their eye-conversation was short and he gained a similar expression to Soonyoung, both turning to look at Minghao and Junhui in sync.

“It's a plan.”  
Minghao rose up from his seat, bowing his head at all present parties before leaving the office, leaving for the day actually. He needed time to mentally prepare for this, no less than a few weeks in the constant company of Junhui, he needed a lot of preparation to survive this.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Re-reading this I found it kinda thin but this was something I started a long time ago and I still have one more chapter to upload until I actually have to start writing more. So please don't be scared by the horrendous writing, I promise that I have improved somewhat since writing this and that the future chapters are going to be somewhat better quality-wise!

“Early bird, love it! I hope you’re ready because you’ll be spending two hours on a bus.”  
Soonyoung greeted them with a warm smile, at 5 in the morning and he still managed to look like a warm light beside Seokmin who looked far more tired which was far more reasonable.

“Two hours?! But the Villa is in Sangju!”

“Yeah, the villa is, the villa owner is in Seoul.”  
The partners groaned in unison before Junhui threw his bag to the ground and laid down, making strange noises that could be identified as whimpers, Soonyoung still sent him a cosy smile despite the fact that he was wiggling around on the dirty floor muttering complaints. Minghao hoped against all that their identities didn’t know each other and never had to interact.

Despite himself, he reached out as Soonyoung placed a thin file in his hands, containing information on the city, Joshua Hong, everything and everyone surrounding him and also their new identities and passports.  
Minghao immediately pocketed the credit card they were given, the details stood on his identity anyway so it was more reasonable for him to have it, it seemed that was the only money they were given and all of it belonged to him. 

He had a strong impulse to keep the account for himself and leave Junhui without a single coin but Soonyoung seemed to have read his mind already as he levelled him with an accusing stare, arching an eyebrow at him and holding eye-contact until Minghao gave up and looked away with a small grunt.

“So Moon Junhwi, ready to go?”  
The boy sat up as he was being called, squinting up at Minghao with a pout.

“Why’re you using my Korean name?”

“It’s your new identity, get up or I will leave you.”  
He gave his partner a light kick and started walking, Junhui almost fell over again as he scrambled after him. He threw one last wave over his shoulder, almost missing Seokmin’s wince and Soonyoung’s concern as their eyes followed them until they came out of reach.

Seo Myungho and Moon Junhwi, central Seoul here we come.

\--------------------

This had been the third time in less than 15 minutes he has had to move Jun’s head from resting on his shoulder, the first time he had cringed internally, not really wanting to disturb the man’s sleep since he was resting so peacefully but now that it felt like the hundredth time Junhui’s head met his shoulder he was starting to consider chopping it off.

He was just trying to read in peace but the nuisance beside him was keeping it from being any form of peaceful as he continuously had to push his big thick head away. This last time he was certain he saw the boy smirking as he growled in annoyance.

“Just give up Ming- Myungho, I won’t give up until I can sleep comfortably.”  
He glared at the boy whose head had already circled back to his shoulder, his eyes weren’t open so he couldn’t see the face he was giving him but he still hoped the daggers he glared made it through his shut eyelids.  
And when he began to suspect it didn’t he retorted to smacking Junhui’s arm with as much strength he could muster which seemed to be a lot as the boy finally broke from his little ritual to hold his reddening arm and cry out in soft whimpers, not wanting to attract attention despite the pain.

“Physically I overpower you so keep hurting me and see how long my patience is.”  
This time Junhui had completely turned to him, eyes open in not quite a glare but an annoyed expression with his lips in a thin line. They held a small staring competition before his partner broke it to pull on a hoodie and Minghao went back to reading his book.  
Until he was interrupted again, that is, Junhui’s head was back on his shoulder and this time he had also hooked their arms.

“Please, it’s just an hour left and I need to sleep.”  
He sighed to show his displeasure but this time he didn’t shrug him off, he decided that he didn’t want to spend the next hour fighting for dominance, he just wanted to read his damn book for fuck sake.

The time passed surprisingly fast despite his internal struggle, it was a new issue this time. He found the warmth radiating around him making his eyes heavy and Junhui’s added heat only made the thought of sleep seem nicer, but he would be damned if he fell asleep resting his head on his partners, instead he pulled through several excruciating minutes of muffled yawning.

Once they neared their stop he didn’t aggressively shake the man awake or hit him conscious, no, he was softly talking to him, he didn’t think it would work as the man could sleep through a lot of bumps and page-turning but against all odds Junhui woke up within 5 minutes, detaching himself from Minghao to stretch the drowsiness out of him.

Junhui responded well to affection and a friendly tone, Minghao wasn’t planning on giving him either, if he wanted love then he could get a damn girlfriend instead of torturing his coworker!

“You make a terrible pillow.”

It was lucky how they were making their way out of the bus as this was being said otherwise Minghao certainly would have attacked him with the goal to leave a few bruises and marks. Maybe he would even bite him till his flesh opened, to leave a permanent reminder of what happens when he reaches Minghao’s boiling point.

“So Myungho, I assume you read the files and know where we’re going?”  
He glared at his partner and sighed dramatically before pulling out a little note he made of the address, they were getting an actual apartment for this mission, a small dirty apartment in a shitty neighbourhood but it was something at least. As long as their neighbours weren’t noisy.

Their neighbours were noisy.

They had barely entered the apartment building but could already hear them fighting, a man and a woman screaming at each other with the rage of a bull in a bullring.  
He closed his eyes and counted to ten before following his partner up the stairs, even as they reached the third floor the fighting couple could still be heard, not as loud but you could still make out every word if you wanted. 

At least he wasn’t extremely disappointed by their apartment, partly because he was already expecting the worst possible and partly because it was surprisingly clean.  
When you entered you were immediately met with a small kitchen to your left, a short kitchen aisle separating the kitchen and living room, to your right it was a wall, if you followed the wall further you would soon meet a door leading into the one bedroom they got, then furthest away of said wall was the bathroom, also small and the shower offered almost no privacy with only a short shower curtain that didn’t make it the whole way around, at least the door was whole.

Junhui had left him the second they entered the bedroom; he then stayed there, claiming the bed by the wall separating them from the bathroom; that side of the room seemed to have a cold spot that Jun thrived in. Both beds were placed underneath the two windows in the room, the view wasn’t anything groundbreaking, it was absolute shit as it faced the small alley in between the apartment buildings if they had a neighbour that person would be able to see straight into the bedroom. At least the living room/kitchen had a decent view of the road running past the apartment complex, all in all, they got what they paid for.

They were lucky enough to inherit soft beds that left space to move around in your sleep, the couch they were left with wasn’t bad either, the navy colour in their mostly white living room irked Minghao the slightest but the sofa was comfortable enough to sleep on, they were also left with a coffee table stable enough for usage and basic cooking necessities. He entertained the idea that Soonyoung had secretly arranged things for their comfort seeing as it wouldn't be impossible for the man to have snuck in some extra items to their apartment. He just wondered who had put everything here, seeing as their crew were all back in HQ.  
It wasn't enough to fill the entire apartment though which made Minghao secretly happy, he would be able to tyrant over the decorations and unbought furniture as he doubted Junhui would be interested in such, he doubted the man would even get bedsheets with colour.  
He was planning on running a navy theme in the living room to not make the couch stand out too much, the bathroom would remain white as it was the room to get ready in and didn’t need any soft colours to help you relax. Since their bedroom wallpaper was blood red he would also continue that theme.

He would be lying if he said he didn’t get giddy at the thought of making his own space, it had been many years since Minghao last moved, many years since he last got to plan his very own space, that he now shared with Jun…

“Junhwi, get out here, you need to go through your file!”

Minghao already knew his new life like the back of his hand, his new life where he was Seo Myungho, names chosen to be easier for them to remember and that the names had been used in the past so if you were to look it up you would find stuff but nothing that connected their Korean names with their own identities.  
In the life of Seo Myungho, he was a newly graduated student with an art degree, making money through his Instagram where he posted artwork, modelling and photography, but he was also applying for a job as a barista at a cosy little café close to where they live, Joshua Hong’s favourite café by the way, to be able to support his new roommate. 

Junhui dragged his legs mimicking a zombie as he entered the living room, falling on the couch lazily looking through his file. 

He was Moon Junhwi, Junhwi was fresh out of community service, he had been caught several times participating in light vandalism. Junhwi was working the night shift at a convenience store nearby, Myungho and Junhwi were childhood friends as to why they agreed to live together while picking up Junhwi’s life.

Soonyoung had made sure their personalities weren’t compatible so they wouldn’t have to pretend to be lifelong soulmates and best buddies for life.

“We’re the same age?!”  
Junhui looked bewildered with his eyebrows raised high, his eyes blown wide and his mouth slightly parted but he still kept his attention on the file, Minghao chuckled wearing a small smirk.  
Myungho and Junhwi were also the same age, they met in 1st grade as they were classmates. This also meant that Minghao had all the freedom to speak to his partner in whatever manner he sees fit, not that he didn't do that already though...

“Soonyoung certainly wasn't wasting time planning this, your work starts at 10 am and mine starts at 7 pm”  
He hummed, Minghao’s work wasn’t confirmed and he would be spending 3 hours there working each day for a week before his boss decided whether he was fit for the job or not. Junhui already got a stable position and was jumping right into work-life while Minghao was being eased into it.

“Alright, wake me up 20 min before you leave.”

“20 minutes? Why?”

“Because I am tagging along, I can’t wait to be a shitty customer on your first day of work!”  
If they had pillows he would’ve suffocated Junhui already.  
As the older got ready for bed Minghao got ready to take a walk, if he was supposed to live here then he needed to know what the neighbourhood looked like at least and since he had two hours to kill it seemed like the best option.

Going down the dirty stairs he made a note on how the couple on the ground floor had stopped arguing he also made a note on how few people lived there, each level had 5 apartments, two on each side and a wider, but shorter one on the end of the hallway, the one he and Jun had. On the third level, they were almost alone with only one other person living on their floor, the second floor had 3 occupied apartments and the ground-level had 4.

Exiting the building 7 in the morning he wasn’t met with anything but the sun and the chilly air which was a welcome change, a good dose of cold air always managed to wake him when he was in a sleepy state.

He didn’t wander far in fear of getting lost in a new city and not finding his way back, who was he kidding? Minghao always found his way back even in an unfamiliar location, he was far too smart to get lost but it was that intelligence that kept him from going too far.  
He had strolled around an hour familiarising himself with the neighbourhood before making his way back to their apartment building.

“Hey! Excuse me, I haven’t seen you around here before.”  
His first emotion was shock as he hadn't seen anyone approaching which then became irritation but that feeling magically seemed to swim away as he turned around to face the owner of the deep voice, he was met with a tall man, intense eyes with an easygoing smile, Minghao had to admit that he was certainly good looking with round glasses resting on his nose, his raven hair wavy, and best of all he stood with a straight back, well-fitted clothing and gave off a vibe you couldn’t help but respect.

“Oh, yeah, I just moved here with a friend of mine, we’re trying to turn over a new leaf.”

“A dark past? We should grab a coffee sometime and discuss it.”  
The man looked at him with a soft smile seeming like any other person one might cross but Minghao knew better, the man had a good posture, a little too good and his feet were a little too straight for a normal civilian. Despite being suspicious of him Minghao still decided to entertain the man, he was curious as to where he was trying to get with this anyway.

“Myungho, I don’t know this area too well so I trust you to pick a good spot.”

“I’m Wonwoo, there's this little café on walking distance from here, Coup d’état”

“Oh, I work there…”  
He inspected closely as a little something lit up in the man’s eyes, he was looking for information and Minghao got the feeling he was specifically looking for his fake identity yet he still chose to entertain it. Wonwoo wasn't the only one who could get information out of this.

“You get off at 1 pm the first week right? How about I pick you up there tomorrow?”

“Yeah sure, it's a date?”  
He watched the smile on Wonwoo’s lips grow into something more dangerous, it was obvious that Minghao was doing exactly what the man wanted him to. And he couldn't help but grow curious as to who this man was, but he'd be able to figure it out tomorrow.

He excused himself with a small smile, entering their apartment building and sprinting up the stairs, only stopping once he was standing in front of Junhui’s bed where the boy laid snoring softly. One smack later and said person was sitting up straight trying to blink the sleep out of his eyes as he yawned.

“Someone knows something.”

“That's good, imagine the bullying if their head was completely empty.”

“Jun, I just met someone, he was examining me as much as I was him.”

“Kinky?”  
Minghao smacked his leg again but a lot harder, now Junhui was sitting properly brushing a hand over his leg as if he had been shot but at least he was paying attention despite sulking.

“He was looking at me weirdly and I didn’t see him until he suddenly called out for me.”

“Could be a predator. I mean you're a small cute boy, an easy target.”  
This time he elbowed him in the ribs as he sat down next to Junhui on the bed.

“Maybe but the way he moved… It was... Too formal... Too proper, his posture was more like mine than anything else.”

“So? You don’t have to meet him ever again.”

“He’s taking me on a date tomorrow, picking me up after work.”  
He chuckled quietly as his partner started coughing beside him, placing a hand on Minghao’s shoulder while patting himself on the chest to assist his choking. Even after it died down Junhui looked at him with raised eyebrows staring at him with pure disbelief.

“Ming-Minghao, have you actually lost your mind? Like seriously, did you drop all common sense on your little walk?”

“I just want to know what he’s after, that's all.”

Even after they had gotten ready to leave after they had been walking for a while Junhui still looked at him in the same way of pure disbelief, it was so bad he risked walking into a few light posts as it was seemingly impossible to tear his eyes away from him for a single second.

He suppressed the growl rising in his throat as he opened the door to the café, making sure it would smack in Junhui's face before the man managed to enter. He didn't have time to confirm the action as the second he had entered a well-kept man appeared in front of him, blocking his view of anything else in the small space.

"Please say you're Myungho!"

"Yeah...?"  
He watched the man practically deflate in relief as Minghao answered his question, then without a warning the man latched onto his hand and pulled him away to a small room behind the counter, it looked like some sort of storage with several different containers placed on shelves reaching up to the ceiling.

"Please don't kill your incompetent co-worker, that is literally all I’m asking of you."  
He raised an eyebrow as the man in front of him stared back with a pleading expression, rubbing circles in Minghao's hands but he suspected it was more to calm himself rather than Minghao.

"I'm Choi Youngjae, at this point, I don't care how well you do as long as you're better than my current employee. I call him Bambam for a reason."

"Oh, I will do my best."  
Youngjae gave him a look of pure admiration as he led him back out to the space behind the counter where another employee stood wiping off surfaces, he assumed it was Bambam.  
He couldn't help but jump slightly as what he suspected to be an apron was brought over his head before being tied up at the back, just loose enough that he could breathe but barely.

"I'll just run the machines by you real quick, don't believe any advice that man gives you, ok?"  
The man appeared from behind him with a finger raised as a warning before pointing his thumb over his shoulder to the other barista.  
Said barista paid absolutely no attention to them apart from a single glance before he left to wipe off the unoccupied tables. He hadn't had time to look around until now and he had to admit that he was impressed, the café was clad in only creamy and soft colours as the majority was cream-white or peachy pink, it was a modern set-up but not enough to ruin the cosy vibe the area held with the soft orange lights and soft sofas that served as seating with only a few chairs available, it was obvious that this was a place to relax.

"Right, so this is the espresso machine, it's a super-automatic so all you have to do is remember what buttons do what, which is also very easy as the buttons are labelled, put a cup here press the button and then add milk frothing by pressing this button. It's extremely simple."  
Youngjae continued muttering something for quite the while but as Minghao sent him a questioning stare he only waved it off but it had been something along the lines of "Can't use anything, not baby proof, thanks for hiring dumb people boss..." though he was fairly certain that he wasn't supposed to hear that.

"Right so it's my review that will get you the job, it's still the boss-man that decides but it's based on my review so just be nice and I'll get you the job, Kapish?"  
The man trailed off in silent complaints which he understood to be directed towards Youngjae's boss. This man certainly had a lot of opinions. 

The day had been just as easy as the man said, Minghao had just stayed with the espresso machine while Youngjae did the social part of taking orders and the other man went around tidying up, Youngjae had said it was the only thing he trusted the man with and even with such a simple chore there were a lot of moments where he would spill things, break stuff and dance salsa on Youngjae's nerves. At least he seemed nice.

During his shift, he had been far too focused to pay much attention to Junhui who had occupied a seat near the counter, the few times he had spared the man a glance he found him obsessively typing on his phone with some sort of premade grapefruit juice which at least meant Minghao didn't have to make anything for his partner to complain about.

His co-worker, Bambam, on the other hand, kept a close eye on Junhui and would whisper a report of how often the man stared whenever passing Minghao during his chores. Bambam in question wouldn't understand how valuable his services were as it would make it a lot easier for Minghao to relax and focus on his duties if someone else was watching over him. But it also made him more cautious, Bambam was a codename if he's ever heard one and just how observant he was only fueled his suspicions, then again, it was fully possible that it was just his personality and it was just an innocent nickname.

"Great job today, keep this up and you'll be hired in no time!"  
He threw Youngjae one last wave as he and Jun left the café. All in all, it had been a pleasant experience and he wasn't as worried about growing restless as he previously was. Who knows, He might even make a friend there.

"One of the baristas is kinda hot."

"If you say the tall one then my other co-worker might kill you."  
He shot Junhui a small smile as they were walking down the street towards their apartment, the smile was kept short as he found his partner looking at him, his eyes brimmed with amusement as he shoved his hands into his jeans pockets before tensing his shoulders wearing a mysterious smile.

"I don't know, there was this one barista by the coffee makers, he has a mullet, not too tall, not too short, just right, y'know?"  
For a brief moment, he considered pushing Junhui out into the traffic and watch him get crushed by a car but then as he met Jun's gaze he froze, every thought of harming the man seeped away, he only found the strength to keep walking when Junhui smiled at him, at that time he started walking faster forcing his partner to jog in order to keep up.  
After shaking his head a few times his brain seemed to clear up again and the agitation he found earlier was back but the will to glare at the man still wasn't present.

"Ohoho, did humble little me just manage to make the great Ming-Myungho speechless?"

"Shut up, you're dumb."  
His glare made its way back to his face as he watched his partner break out in an ugly cackle, finally, he found the strength to elbow him in the ribs which only seemed to further fuel the man's amusement as tears started forming in his eyes when he laughed.

As he found the man still huffing out small laughs when they ascended the stairs he had an impulse to push him down but fought it down as he had absolutely no idea how to tell Soonyoung why Junhui was in a hospital.

The idea was still tempting.

Speaking of Soonyoung, Minghao suggested they call him but his partner disagreed since they had only been there around 6 hours, they decided to wait until they had been there at least 24 hours, so until tomorrow it was.

After burning the excess hours they had, on reading and sleeping some more he soon watched Junhui leave for his new job, the man suggested that Minghao tagged along but he kindly declined.

"Are you dumb? Why would I watch you work for 7 hours?!"  
He exclaimed, smacking the man with his book, sending him a stern glare which he had found to be useless against Junhui, he suspected the man had already grown used to it.

"Ya, it was only a suggestion! Don't hit me, you brat!"

Yes, Minghao had kindly declined the offer. It hadn't done any real damage anyway as his partner was laughing as he stumbled out of the apartment.

Junhui was weird, he had decided. Junhui was hard to hate, quite impossible if he was being honest.  
He was first of all handsome, Minghao would never in a million years admit it but Jun was good-looking with his sharp nose, chiselled jaw and that impossible smile, his small smile was so odd, it didn't matter if it was actually something really funny or not, Junhui always looked as if he was about to burst out laughing whenever he smiled, then he had a different smile, the one he used when he was genuinely happy, it would show off his teeth and hide his eyes and of course his teeth were also perfect, a snowy white and not a single imperfection. 

And he never hid his feeling about anything, for most agents it had become a habit to hide your reactions but Junhui somehow managed to keep his stone-faced persona well separated from the real him, Minghao had seen him angry, chewing on his lip wearing a glare, Minghao had seen him happy, a great smile and a loud laugh, Minghao had even seen Junhui sad, the man wore his heart on his sleeve. It was admirable, to say the least.

And then he had his personality, Junhui was a jokester, he would gain unlimited energy whenever he made someone laugh and he absolutely thrived when teasing and god knows Junhui loves teasing and he never managed to insult someone through it, he would rarely step over a line, his words were blunt and honest yet he always stayed on peoples good sides. Well, all apart from Minghao's.  
He had some obsession with bothering Minghao, no matter where or when he would always tease him for anything he could think off, and then there was his damn flirting, Junhui constantly flirted whether it was a stupid pick-up line or just a sentence said suggestively with a dangerous look in his eye and an evil smirk forming on his lips.

Jun was a field agent capable of murder, how did he manage to look both cute and innocent when he made a living from a dangerous, high-stake job?

Urgh.  
Minghao groaned out loud to no one but the empty apartment. They were there on a mission and no other thoughts than those related to said mission belonged in either of their heads and Minghao be damned if he let his incompetent partner jeopardize his precious focus.

\-----------------

Jun had been left alone in the store mere minutes after he arrived, from the registers it would say he had worked there for a while already and didn't need surveillance anymore when it was, in fact, his very first day and he had very little knowledge of how anything worked. All he knew how to do was scan items and charge, he knew nothing of how to work the cash register, whether he was supposed to write down somewhere what items they were running low on or anything like that.

But as of right now he felt he had other things to worry about as the man who had been sitting outside of the store when he arrived followed him in, staring at Junhui while doing a very bad job of shopping as he occasionally picked up items and looked them over before either throwing them back to where they stood or held onto them while making rounds to the other aisles all while looking at the poor cashier.  
He had a slight suspicion that he was there to rob the store but that thought seemed less apparent as whenever he caught the man staring he wouldn't break eye contact, no he just kept staring without blinking until Jun gave up and looked away.

After the one other customer had left, only buying cup ramen, the man finally approached the counter where he placed the one ice-cream he had settled on, he took the liberty to lead on the counter, supporting his head with his arm, still staring directly into Junhui's eyes.

"Will this be all?"  
He tried a smile but felt how he ended up with a thin line on his lips instead, the man in front of him though seemed to light up when being spoken to as a smile quickly spread on his lips... But he still didn't respond or even look away, at least he blinked.

"Junhwi, I'm S.Coups, try to remember it."  
He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion as the man left with the ice-cream that he had overpaid for. Leaving Jun with 20,000₩ instead of the 10,000₩ required. 

What Jun really lingered on though was the usage of his fake name which he was positive he hadn't given out to anyone but Minghao. The other thing that stuck with him was the name he was given, S.Coups, it was obviously a codename and judging from the wink he had left with he really did feel like he should remember it, he also got the impression that he could probably ask almost anyone and they would know who he meant, and in the very very corner of his mind, he had the tiniest suspicion that this man was connected with the man Minghao had met previously that day. This mission was a lot larger than they initially thought, huh?

Time after that moved at snail speed because, surprise, surprise, not a lot of people visited a convenience store in the middle of the night.  
But as it was a typical "around the corner" 24h store he respected the time of his shift and patiently waited for his hours to drizzle out before he went rushing back home, back to Minghao.

His speed didn't falter in the slightest until he was back in the safety of the apartment he shared with his friend but even as he slowed down he didn't stop until he had reached Minghao who was peacefully sleeping in his bed, fully clothed with his beloved book held to his chest.   
Junhui sighed as he was met with the roadblock; Minghao would like to know about this as soon as possible but Jun didn't want to wake him up when he had finally fallen asleep, waking up a man in the middle of the night who woke up at 5 in the morning seemed like a real dick move... Minghao also wouldn't like to sleep in his casual clothing... Alright, he had come to a decision.

"Hey."  
He spoke softly, his voice barely loud enough to be a whisper as he placed a hand on Minghao's shoulder while moving his book and laying it down on the floor beside the bed before shaking the man's shoulder in the smallest movement. But his suspicions were right, Minghao was a light sleeper and the physical contact woke him right up, at first, he flew up in a sitting position, somehow angling Junhui's arm in a position where it would break at the slightest jostle.  
Luckily his friend chose not to break his arm as he sat squinting at Junhui with a tired glare and a pout.

"It's 3 am, change before you go back to sleep."  
Minghao huffed in what Junhui hoped was his tired way of agreeing, he left the bedroom to ready himself for bed too, he doubted Minghao would appreciate him hovering while he was changing so he did what any decent person would and gave him space. When he came back to the room he walked slowly to make sure his friend wasn't still changing when he entered but he came back to find him already asleep but in pyjamas this time. 

He would tell Minghao in the morning when they reported back to Soonyoung.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for bearing with me!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please bear with me~~

Minghao had woken up at 6 am and while Junhui was still asleep he has managed to: Take an hour-long walk, bought groceries(and a frog pillow for his own sake), made breakfast and read about 20 pages of his book all before being graced by his partner's presence and if he was being honest he did feel a little restless without Junhui's constant bothering, but that was if he was being honest which he wasn't in the mood for.

"Please tell me there's food..."  
He watched as a zombie of his partner waddled out of the bedroom, hair sticking out in all strange positions making him look like a lunatic and even more so with the strange way his t-shirt managed to tangle around his body while he slept, he suppressed a laugh as he watched Junhui trip into the bathroom with a loud thud.

"No, I only made for myself."  
He said like a liar because he was lying.   
As stated previously he had managed to do several things while his partner was sleeping including making breakfast for the two of them and going far out of his way to make something he figured Jun would like as he doubted the boy ate as healthy as he did nor as little, he had to admit that the action didn't feel like a chore or a bother as he was almost happy to serve another person, he hadn't woken up in the same house as anyone in years and unlike what he expected, the nostalgia turned out to be that of the good sort.

"How dare you be productive and not take care of me in the process?"  
This time he actually chuckled as he watched Junhui continue his little waddle into the kitchen where he loudly gasped.

"Ya, I thought you didn't make any for me!"

"Must've slipped my mind."  
He watched as a very Excited Junhui made his way into the living room with both a bowl and a small plastic plate only to run off and come back again with a cheap pair of wooden chopsticks. He tried to fight the smile that was reaching him but he really didn't stand a chance especially not as his partner pulled a strange face he assumed was a happy one since he was whisper-screaming at his bowl for a good few seconds before stuffing his face in rice noodles.

And neither could he help the laugh that escaped him once he shoved a drink in front of the man and watched as his eyes grew wide, he didn't even stop giggling as the man attacked him in a quick hug before continuing his face-stuffing. Minghao may or may not have stopped by Coup d'état and brought back a cup of the grapefruit juice Junhui had ordered the previous day

"Minghao I absolutely love you with my entire existence!"  
Junhui turned to look at him with his cheeks stuffed with food and a smile he could only describe as ecstatic.  
He huffed once his partner turned his attention back to the food. Minghao really appreciated positive feedback, even if he was the last person deserving it he couldn't help the warm feeling that rose in his chest at Junhui's words, again he tried not to smile but he suspected that he was failing tremendously as his face starting heating up in sync with the feeling in his chest, in order to release these feelings he gave Junhui a light kick which he did not comment on.

His skin kept the burning sensation the entire time he watched his roommate, but he didn't have the strength to look away, not while his partner was appreciating something he had done for him, something Minghao had gone out of his way to do for Junhui, of course, he knew he would get a reaction similar to this but reality was far more overwhelming than he originally thought it would be.  
He had the tiniest sense of pride blooming up inside him, he was proud that he chose to do this when he easily could have chosen not to, Minghao was terrible at showing his emotions so in his book this was a major improvement.

"Oh, the strangest thing happened yesterday while I was away!"

"Go on."

"There was this man that was sitting outside, he entered right behind me and then he kept looking at me, like a really shitty surveillance mission but the thing was when I looked at him he didn't look away instead he waited until I looked away! And then he comes up to the counter all like argh Junhwi I’m S.Coups remember me!!! And then he left."

He felt how his initial stare had hardened into a venomous glare by the time his partner stopped talking. He didn't think to mention that earlier?!

"I know what you're thinking but you were asleep! I couldn't just wake you up!"  
But Junhui had woken him up, to remind him to change clothes before going to bed instead of telling him about this which was a major red flag and a potential threat to the mission and themselves!

He saw how Junhui shrank under his watch, sinking into himself until he was roughly the size of Minghao's frog pillow which was a lot smaller than a man of Jun's height should be able to make himself. With a sigh he tore his eyes away from his partner and instead searched for Soonyoung’s number in his new mission phone, it wasn't a long search at all since the man made himself both of their speed dials. Junhui was still looking at him from the corner of his eye when he placed his phone on the coffee table, speaker on and calling Soonyoung’s number.

"You're alive?!"  
The partners looked at each other questioning as their leader’s voice croaked out of the speaker.

"Yeah, why?"

"Vernon was shot this morning by the villa, I assumed your mission had been botched!"

"Did you find out who did it?"  
While Minghao's colour was too busy draining itself from his skin, Junhui stepped up to ask the questions and he could not appreciate it more at that time. Even the first day they arrived, strange things happened with Wonwoo and what happened with Junhui at work only led him to believe they were expected.

"No, we got a facial that Dino's currently running through the internet but the man must've had a clearing recently, the only thing we've managed to find was initials; SC"

Now it was Junhui's turn to grow pale with his mouth hanging open and his eyes wide, he looked scared. The man flinched as Minghao placed a hand on his knee before Junhui placed his own hand over his.

"Tell Dino to run S.Coups."  
They could hear as Soonyoung echoed his words to the boy as well as loud typing before both of the men on the other side of the line exclaimed, one swore and the other just made a surprised noise.

"This man is all over the Internet and his facial matches Vernon's shooter by 100%, a cam captured him leaving a bus mere minutes before the drive-by happened. How did you know?"

"He introduced himself to Jun at the store."

"He has a shit-ton of convictions ranging from murder to theft… of course they're connected, his bail card belongs to none other than Joshua Hong."  
Minghao and Junhui both cursed in sync as Soonyoung took a deep shaky breath before continuing.

"This… this S.Coups has direct connections to the former owner of the villa, from what I'm seeing our man is a dog and we need to find out who's pulling the leash."

"Could you find out if either Hong or SC has any connections to a man named Wonwoo?"  
They could hear a chair squeaking, followed by someone performing an orchestra on a computer keyboard and the tiny voice of Seokmin whispering in the distance.

"Neither of them."  
He was just about to take a deep sigh of relief.

"Wait… there is a Jeon Wonwoo connected to Joshua Hong’s fiancé, Yoon Jeonghan."  
He closed his eyes taking a deep shaky breath of his own as Junhui squeezed his hand all while sending him a look of I-told-you-so.

"Shit guys, Jeonghan has a wide assortment of contacts and even more power, he owns half of Seoul including Coup d’état, and the cherry to the cake; he went to high-school with Jeon Wonwoo and Joshua Hong but at the time it seems according to the articles that he was dating the football captain, Choi Seungcheol."

They could all piece it up on their own, S.Coups, Choi Seungcheol, Coup d'état.

Wait.

"See if there's a Choi Youngjae in there somewhere."  
He could physically feel every key Dino pressed while typing out the name, every button making his chest feel tighter and his heart beat faster.

"Distant relative of Choi Seungcheol and also one of the Coup d'état employees, he'd be your superior Ming- The8… wait, Dino zoom in a bit..."  
He put his head in his hand while the other was still held by Junhui who seemed just as weighted down as he felt, with his small frown and closed eyes.

"Good news, you work with Bambam, one of Jinyoung's inside men in Seoul. Bad news, the building is managed by another one of Jeonghan's classmates, Im Jaebum."

He could hear how Soonyoung’s voice grew more tired by each word, almost just a whisper as he finished the sentence.   
Near the phone he heard someone slam either a hand or a head down on a table, followed by a frustrated growl.

"So, Myungho, you wanna cancel that date yet?" He looked up to find his partner staring at him, his face looking years older and dark circles that he was positive weren't there earlier appeared under his eyes. 

"What date?"  
On the other line, they could hear someone pacing as Seokmin’s voice came out of the speaker instead.

"Wonwoo asked him on a date and he agreed."  
He had the urge to glare at his partner but found the energy to be nonexistent so what he resorted to was to just run a hand through his hair with a sigh.

"No, no, this could work, what time is the date?"

"2 pm."

"Go on the date but bring Jun, I'm sending Mingyu and Hoshi by car, so the two of them will follow when they arrive, The8 whatever you do, do not lose your tracker."  
The last they could hear was Soonyoung protesting in the background before Seokmin hung up. 

The call left them with orders and too much information for their brains to process, they found an alley in the mix but they also found unlimited amounts of enemies hidden in the city, even when Mingyu and Soonyoung arrive they are still going to be vastly outnumbered. But they were soldiers, they took orders and didn't hesitate to have them carried out.

"It started with an abandoned house, ended with a million threats and new enemies."

"This isn't the end, get ready I’m leaving for work."

\--------

It would have been a great lie if he claimed that his eyes didn't water if he claimed that his heart didn't slow down as every name Chan typed out all led to new threats, all connected to that damned house.

He would have lied if he said he didn't regret taking this mission because he did. He regretted every second of it as it was the third morning on the case and he had already had to see one of his closest friends be driven to the hospital with blood spewing out of the bullet wound, he had to watch another one of his friends break down right in front of him.  
He had to comfort Seungkwan blindly, reassuring him that his boyfriend would survive when he had absolutely no idea if what he said was true.

At the time the only thing he could do was sit there, in the middle of the hospital, holding onto his friend as if it were the last thing he would ever do, he had to sit there on the ground and be strong while Seungkwan cried into his chest, he had to sit there for an hour until his friend's sobbing died out, he had to watch his friend become void of all emotions, too tired to cry while waiting for the nurses to tell him whether Vernon, Seungkwan's hand-picked soulmate in life had died or not. And Soonyoung had to sit there, despite being almost as scared as Seungkwan he still had to sit there and tell him everything was going to be alright.

Even as Seungkwan was let in to see his lover, Soonyoung still had to sit there and wait, Vernon had survived but had Minghao and Junhui also survived? Had they even been attacked at all? Had they both been shot to death, dying side-by-side? 

He had finally broken when he saw Seokmin entering the hospital, tears flowing down his cheeks as he met him in a hug, they had also sunk down on the ground but this time Soonyoung didn't have to be strong, this time he could cry with someone, he didn't have to be strong for Seokmin and Seokmin didn't have to be strong for Soonyoung, they could cry together, now he could cry until all tears left him, and he did.  
He had sat in Seokmin’s arms and cried on his shoulder for what felt like hours, he hadn't even been able to stop as Chan and Mingyu arrived, he hadn't been able to do anything as his team brought him into a hug. 

As a leader, he had failed to keep his team safe, as a leader he had failed but his team, his family, still stuck by him.  
They waited there on the ground with him until another nurse said they could go in.

Vernon hadn't been awake when they entered, Soonyoung hadn't expected him to be but against all he had still hoped that everything would be alright and that the bullet only grazed his skin, it hadn't, it was embedded in his flesh when they found him but somehow he still wished that he had seen wrong.  
But as he saw Seungkwan leaning over the man, holding his hand with closed eyes and a small smile, he knew everything was going to be OK. His team didn't blame him so he didn't blame himself either, he just felt lucky that Chan hadn't been there with him when the shooting happened, he could have lost both of them but he didn't lose either.

He had the strength to smile at Vernon's sleeping form, he had seen how his hand curled around his boyfriend's despite being unconscious, Vernon was going to be fine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last pre-prepared chapter I have so after this I will be open to suggestions and will also improve my writing significantly! (I hope)
> 
> Do know that I'm not too fond of this chapter and if you find it to be the worst chapter in the story I do not blame you as it's a bit rushed but at the time I felt like I wanted to get into the plot and this is a product of my impatience, I would edit it and re-write it but at the same time it's good to have a "low" so I won't be able to do worse than this!

**Author's Note:**

> This is something I've been writing on for a while and I can't wait to see your response! Even the shortest comment can give the strongest motivation so please do share your thoughts and opinions!


End file.
